We’ve got a teacher shortage, a nurse shortage, and a student shortage—as in fewer students in school. And if you can guess why, I’ll give you a gold star for effort. Yes! You’ve got it! You’ve been paying attention to the news! It’s because we aren’t having a shortage of COVID-19 cases. In fact, that […]
Opinion
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Going it alone is anti-vaxxers’ selfish ‘right’
When COVID-19 first blanketed our country in early 2020, we were indeed “all in this together.” But, after the development and wide dissemination of three effective vaccines against COVID, we all saw that cases declined. Well, that was until the rapid spread of the Delta variant among the unvaccinated. We now find ourselves in a […]
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Conservation plan is not a land grab
The 30 by 30 plan is a big deal. The Biden administration’s recognition of the need to conserve 30 percent of the nation’s natural lands by 2030 to head off mass extinction and the worst effects of climate change entails a big plan, and it is an axiom of Newtonian political law that the announcement […]
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Seeking solutions
I don’t want to write about good news. It’s no fun! But this week I have no choice. I have no choice but to give the county a pat on the back for its efforts on homelessness. As San Luis Obispo County put forward a “safe parking area” on a dirt lot outside of its […]
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Why you should vote in the recall election
If Gavin Newsom does not receive more that 50 percent of the vote on Sept. 14, one of his opponents can become governor with as little as 5 percent of the vote. That’s right, a majority is needed to vote Newsom out of office, but a majority is not needed to choose his successor. The […]
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Absurd arguments
Vaccine mandate. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down. Before you start yelling at me for daring to write those two words, let me get to the point. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is going to consider vaccine mandates at its next meeting—Aug. 31. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down. It’s not for everyone! It would […]
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Biden has bumbled
There’s something wrong with Joe Biden’s thinking. The United States became energy independent under President Trump for the first time in 75 years, and we no longer bought oil from foreign countries. Now Biden is crushing domestic oil and gas production while pressuring OPEC to boost their production so we can buy theirs. We do […]
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Don’t miss your chance to vote on Lompoc’s cannabis manufacturing tax, it’s a win-win proposal for the city
Recently every registered voter and city resident received two important pieces of mail; I’ll bet some of you just threw them away, but they were both very important documents, and you should have read them carefully. The first was the Santa Barbara County Voter Guide. There are two important issues on this special election ballot: […]
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Fed up
Ground squirrels closed down Beattie Park’s asphalt-covered parking lot in Lompoc. Those ferocious little demons have burrowed and tunneled beneath that hard surface so much, holes are starting to appear. And why did they choose that lot, you ask? Well, turns out, people are feeding them. Feeding them! As if they can’t feed themselves—as if […]
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Keep California blue and vote no now in the Gov. Gavin Newsom recall election
The Republican party is attempting to overturn democracy yet again, this time in California. Trump allies, conspiracy theorists, and anti-vaxxers are counting on low turnout among Democrats, Independents, and progressives to pull off their scheme to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom with a right-wing Republican. The stakes are high: Our governor has the power to appoint […]
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County schools are eager to bring their students safely back on campus for the new academic year
As school begins and routines shift from summer to school mode, students, staff, and families adjust in multiple ways to help launch the year successfully. Children and family members learn bus schedules, sort out carpools, reset morning alarms, and excitedly wait to see which friends are in their classes. Teachers and staff reunite at schools […]
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We need the freedom to choose
There was a time in this country when people suffering from disease were forbidden the opportunity to try experimental treatments for their malady. President Trump succeeded in getting a “right to try” bill passed because it was his view that, as a human being, your liberty to choose your treatment, experimental though it may be, […]
